FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a place determination sensing unit. Placement determination sensing units are broadly divided into ones which acquire absolute coordinates, ones which acquire presence within a range of detection of a device, and ones (passage type ones) which acquire passage through an installation location of a device.
A sensing unit that acquires absolute coordinates is, for example, a GPS receiver. A GPS receiver receives a signal from a GPS satellite, measures a latitude and a longitude at which the GPS receiver is currently located, compares the latitude and the longitude with map information, and detects an entry into and an exit from a place. A latitude and a longitude are also called absolute coordinates.
A sensing unit that acquires presence within a range of detection of a device is, for example, a Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) device, a Bluetooth(R) device, and a microphone. A Wi-Fi device detects, for example, based on a SSID (Service Set Identifier) which is a piece of identification information of a Wi-Fi access point from and RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) information indicating field strength from a received radio wave, an entry into or an exit from a range of detection of an access point with the SSID. A Bluetooth device detects an entry into or an exit from a range of detection of an installed Bluetooth® device with an ID by, for example, detecting the ID of the Bluetooth device from a received radio wave. A microphone detects an entry into or an exit from a range of detection of a device with an ID by, for example, detecting the ID from a sound wave signal outside an audible range among picked up sound wave signals.
A sensing unit that acquires passage through an installation location of a device is, for example, an NFC (Near Field Communication) device and a camera. Examples of an NFC device include an NFC reader and an IC card. For example, a mobile terminal including an IC card as an NFC device detects passage through an installation location of an NFC reader by detecting a touch on the NFC reader. A camera detects passage through a predetermined location by, for example, recognizing a marker, such as a QR Code®, installed at the predetermined location from a captured image.